What crazy/unorthodox products do you use that actually work?

I know many people use Dawn diswashing liquid to get rid of buildup in their locs. Whatever works lol.

When I was a kid I used to think it was crazy my mama used mayonnaise on my hair as a conditioner.… smelled gross during the process, but I had the shiniest hair EVER!

I don’t use any strange stuff. I do have to say that I was pretty surprised to know that Chicoro uses petroleum jelly.

Molasses — my mum used to feed it to me when I was younger and it used to make me gag!
But now I can tolerate it in my scalp scrubs… ‑3-

I use cinnamon and honey to lighten my hair.….…sometimes I use mayo OR peanut butter to condition my hair, lol…it can get pretty sticky!!!

Oh!!! Forgot, sometime I do an egg rinse!! I learned the hard way that it must be rinsed out with COLD water, or else it cook sin your hair!! YUCK!!!

I use plain yogurt coconut oil and honey as a deep conditioner sometimes and i get defined curls with a really nice sheen to them when i do it

I like to condition my hair with plain yogurt (mixed with coconut oil and honey) sometimes. The shine, softness and curl definition I get is bananas!

I use plain yogurt, coconut oil, honey and olive oil as a deep conditioner. Sometimes I substitute the yogurt for a couple blended avacodos.

Looking back, I used to use yogurt for a conditioner that was mixed with honey and oil.

I used fenugreek seeds soaked overnight and then pureed to combat hair loss.. That sucka WORKS! but it smells a bit like curry…LOL

here i was thinking all these things are normal lol, i use mayonaise as a conditioner from time to time — makes hair easy to detangle. Coconut milk, coconut oil, olive oil, water and avocado– makes my hair so soft. Eggs,olive oil and bananas- with a bit of conditioner– works wonders Ive used lemon and lime juice before with my mixtures but i didnt find the significance. Have yet to try honey and the apple cider vinegar rinse. To those who have acne,an egg white and lemon juice face mask and applying diluted apple cider vinegar on my face worked wonders… Read more »

I just went into my kitchen and put some mayo and castor oil in the microwave for 30 secs and then put it on my hair. I put a bag over it and left it on for 20 mins. I washed it out and I am IN LOVE! My hair is soft, shiny, and my curls are more defined without a BIT of curling aid! I just ran some avocado oil thru my hair and I’m DONE! I have 4/a/b/c hair all over… I love it!! I’mma play in the kitchen more often!

I do the apple cider vinegar rinses. It’s usually the only thing I wash my hair with. My hair is baby soft.

[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Black Girl Long Hair, Black Girl Long Hair. Black Girl Long Hair said: talking 2day abt unorthodox hair products that actually work. one reader uses peanut butter to condition!! http://bit.ly/c6JZa4 #naturalhair […]

I’m going to try the egg white and lemon juice mask tonight. I’ve been having issues since I cut my hair and the product I use to define my curls has caused acne. I love my hair, but hate the pimples which ensured.

miconazole nitrate!

Everything except the miconazole nitrate (Monistat for the uninitiated)…those aren’t crazy or weird to me. Guess I’ve been natural too long, lol. I didn’t use Dawn when I had locs, but I did use a mix of Sea Breeze and witch hazel to combat mildew. It worked.

Monistat, the various horse mane growth potions, and yeah, Crisco…I’m not going there anytime soon. Also the whole cayenne pepper spritz thing…that’s not hair growth you’re feeling, that’s skin irritation!

Cayenne pepper! On BlackHairMedia forum, I joined the Cayenne Pepper challenge where you mix cayenne pepper with water into a paste and place it on bald spots or other trouble areas (edges and the nape area), leave it on for a minimum of 1 hr, and rinse it out before cowashing. It’s supposed to stimulate the scalp for hair growth. I’ve seen a few fuzzies growing in the two months I’ve done the challenge, but with consistent use, it may prove beneficial in the long run.

I actually think there is some science to using Crisco. The size of the oils (unsaturated and monounsaturated) in theory could allow penetration into hair similar to coconut and olive oil. I will add and it is a big add — this is a theory suggested by previous research (Journal of Cosmetic Science, pg 169–184, 2001)and crico was not studied here!

Im from Belize. My cousins from the rural parts of Belize use Crisco aka lard on their hair regularly instead of grease or anything else actually (due to being financially limited)and their hair always seemed to grow rapidly. They also barely manipulated their hair.

@ JC if you look at Chicoro’s Fotki in the Hair Care Recipes section, you will see that Chicoro uses un-petroleum jelly for her hair which contains no mineral oil.

I don’t do anything I consider crazy, but I guess they are unorthodox. I’ve tried the honey in conditioner thing and it didn’t work out. I do apple cider vinegar rinses. I do turbinado sugar scalp scrubs. I’ll also do yogurt & honey face masks.

I don’t consider a lot of this stuff to be strange anymore, but if someone told me before I went natural that I’d be using baking soda, ACV, honey, and henna, I would have LOL’ed. I use castor oil in my hair… and everywhere. Lots of castor oil. I use it on my face in place of moisturizer. I always get so many compliments on my “make-up” when all i have on is castor oil, blush, and lip gloss. I think the weirdest thing I’ve ever put in my hair is bentonite clay in liquid form. Then I actually tried… Read more »

I use Oil of Olay in shower body body moisturiser sometimes. I use this moisturiser on my body and then put some on my hair. Sometimes also if I’m stranded somewhere with no hair products I will use body lotion on my hair. It does the trick for the time being.

I sometimes use mayo as a deep conditioner but I prefer Miracle Whip. It leaves my hair feeling just as soft and moisturized but has a milder smell and is more lightweight. Try it!

I like bananas and coconut milk in my deep conditioner mix. But I may consider criso.….….lol

At its most basic, mayonnaise is a combination of only three ingredients that are commonly used in homemade hair preparations: eggs/egg yolks, food grade acid (lemon juice, vinegar, etc.), and food grade oil (olive, canola, etc). All you need to bring them together into the emulsion we know and love so well is a mixer with a good motor and lots of patience. I’ve only made it twice, but I used the second batch as a deep conditioner in order to avoid wasting it when it went past the safe-for-eating period, and I was impressed enough with it to keep… Read more »

I use a mixture of olive oil, honey, and regular conditioner in my hair overnight. Makes your hair soft and super shiny. You can see the results and recipe here:

http://www.projectdanielle.com/2010/01/hair-today-super-shine.html

I saw a white lady in the nail salon smiling from ear to ear with the shiniest face I ever saw (on a white lady) giving me the run down on how she puts crisco on her face everyday. Had to say after the shell shock of her shiney face I thought about it.

Lately I’ve been mixing together coconut, olive, safflower, sunflower, grape seed and peppermint oils. I eyeball it and don’t really measure, though I probably should. It’s also great for skin.

I’ve never used Crisco, but I’ll try anything (beauty-related!) once.

As far as the oily lady @R, that’s one reason I think “black don’t crack” and somebody must have told her! I’m getting away from the oil-control chemicals for that reason and going back to the good, oil-fashioned absorbency sheets or (in a pinch) kleenex. Does anybody have a natural way to control oil?

Well, when I was in school (oh so many years ago) it was the in thing to dye your hair with kool-aid. It didn’t last and washed out but it was fun. Obviously it was done by making a paste with the little packets of kool-aid as opposed to pouring the liquid juice over your head. Also, fabric softener! I put Downey in/on my hair and it was SOOOOO soft!

Okay, Downy just made my jaw hit the floor.

I must admit that I added the crisco to my spritz and I like it…the vegetable blend

crisco was recommended to my household from my doctor when my daughter broke out with eczema to be used as lotion. we have seriously used it for years, and no we don’t smell like chicken 🙂

🙂 Funny, about one week ago I opted for some Crisco since I ran out of olive oil; ironically it’s not that uncommon…yay Crisco

I don’t use Crisco, but personally I’d rather use it than to use petroleum-based products. I know there’s a grease bandwagon, but I can’t see myself getting onboard.

I use Febreeze on my locs if I’ve been around smokers or if I cook something with a strong smell (fried foods in particular ).